Automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus for oil-tanks



0. J. HOLMES. AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS FOR OIL TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I9, I916.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

I NVENTOH 60/112 :1 HOLMES ATTY.

F 0. J. HOLMES.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS FOR OIL TANKS.

APPLICATDON FILED AUG- I9. 1916.

1,356,207. Patented Oct. 19,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR O-scAR J HoLIWEGf O. L. HOLMES? AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS FOR OIL TANKS.

APPLICATSON FILED AUG- I9, 1916. 2 1,35 ,207, Patented Oct. 19,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET Fla. 6. 7

INYENTOR 60 R J. Ho Ma s B v TTlC aim) sT rEs PATENT FFICEY.

oseArt .J. HOLMES, or sr. Louis, mssoum.

, nascent.-

, Specification of Letters Patent. j atented 1;. 19, 1920.

Application filed August 19, 1916. Serial No. 115,868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I OsoAR J. HOLMES, a citizen of the United states, and resident of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Extinguishin Ap paratus for Oil-Tanks, of which the fo lowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying Lo drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus for'oiltanks, and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus for oil-tanks, which shall be especially adapted for use in the present field-systems of oil-tanks; and in carrying out my invention I provide each tank with an improved means for automatically mixing a suitable acid with a suitable foamforming alkaline-solution (which latter is maintained under pressure at all times in the supply-pipes by means of common pumps, or by gravity) to automatically form foam and bubbles, and to release the same upon the interior of a burning oil-tank, immediately upon the formation of said foam; whereby such foam may spread all over the surface of the burning oil in said tank, andextinguish the fire therein.

Another'object of my invention is to provide improved means for conducting the fire-extinguishing foam to the surface of the oil in the tank, during a fire therein, and to which, heretofore, in all fire-apparatus known to me, has been attended with the difficulty that the foam (being quite light and iiufi'y) would not fall through the swiftly-rising currents of hot gases and Ali flames in the burning tank, but would be raised thereby and destroyed without ac-.

complishing the purpose for which said foam was intended.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a common oil-tank, having my invention applied thereto, in one form.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan-view of a common oil-tank with its cover removed, and having my invention applied thereto, -in the form shown in Flgs. 1 and 2.

Fig. ,1 is a detail, vertical section, of the.

acid-tank, mixing chamber, and their immediate connections.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, of a portion of an oil-tank having a modified form (a floating mixing-chamber form) of my invention applied thereto, and which may be denominated an improvement upon the in:

vention heretofore patented by me under date of March 28, 1916, No. 1,177,331, and

Fig. 6 is a plan-view of an oil-tank with its cover (or'roof) removed, and having my improved floating mixing-chamber modification applied to the said tank.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the numeral 1 designates an acid tank for contain ing a suitable quantity of sulfuric acid (or any other proper acid), and preferably a number of such tanks, as shown, are supported at the top of the oil-tank 15, upon the exterior thereof, and provided with suitable filling-caps on their upper ends, and with a suitable common valve 2, for controlling the passage of acid from their lower ends into the (preferably lead, or leadlined) acid-pipe 3.

Said acid-pipe 3 extends downwardly a distance from the acid-tank 1, and is then curved upwardly, and enters the side-branch of a Y-connectioriA and projects therein to the vertical passage therethrough, where said acid-pipe is cutoff at an angle, so that it will discharge the acid at an angle into .the said vertical passage, andthe acid will be drawn forcibly from said end of said acid pipe, whenever the foamproducing alkaline solution under pressure is delivered to the said vertical passage of said (what I term, mixing jet pump tion flows upwardly from the solution-pipe 6, and (after mixing partially with the acid in said jet pump is discharged into the mix Y, which solu ing-chamber 5 located above-said jet pump and supported at or near to the top of the oil-tank15. (See Fig. 2.)

In the said mixing-chamber 5, the mixed foam-producing alkaline solution and the acid, are still further commingled, and foam and bubbles are formed in said. mixing chamber, and are immediately thereafter forced out of the upper portion of the latter into the up er end ofa downwardly-inclined troug 14, which has its upper end preferably provided with a cover 20 for pres most empty) much nearer the center of the venting the foam from being blown ast the trough, and which trough thence extends open the balance of the way to the bottom of the tank and rests thereon.

As shown in Fig. 3, the constructions just described are duplicated so as to place as many as three troughs and foam-and-acid mixing plants upon a single tank; and a greater number may be placed on the extra large tanks now in use, in order to discharge the foam at a sufficient number of places on the surface of the oil to permit said foam to quickly spread over the entire surface.

In Fig. 3-1 have shown'said troughs 14 extending at such an angle from said mixing-chambers 5 that the inner ends of said troughs are located at or near the inner vertical wall of the oil-tank; but it is obvious that said troughs may be arranged at a difierentangle from that herein shown, and may be inclined more or less, so as to discharge the foam (when the tank is altank-bottom, and nearer the center of the surface of the oil in the tank.

By providing such a system of open troughs asI have described, at the several foam-outlets, near the top of the tank, it is obvious that the foam will quickly run down the troughs until it reaches the surface of the oil, when it will leave the troughs at high speed, and its momentum will carry it a considerable distance, and it will come into contact with the curved walls of the tank, and it will assume a circular path, and be quickly spread all over the surface of the oil, certainly much more rapidly than it would if it were released at the top of the tank and allowed to drop through the upwardly-rushing flame and hot gases of a burning tank of oil, and the foam will blanket the oil in the manner I'have described and extinguish the fire in the tank before much damage can be done by the fire.

The said alkalinesolution pipe 6 is provided ,with a common valve 7, which is operated automatically in the manner presently described, for controlling the entrance of alkaline foam-forming solution to the said mixing chambers 5.

From the said valve a supply-pipe extends downwardly to the main supply-pipe, which is connected to a pumping-system or an elevated supply-tank (not shown), for

maintaining at all times in said supply-pipe a proper and adequate amount of foamforming alkaline-solution under pressure.

For automatically opening the acid valve 2 and the foam-solution valve 7, I provide the valve-stem of the valve 7 with a lever 8 carryin a weight 9, and the valve-stem of said acid-valve 2 is fitted with an armor lever 17, the outer end of which is connecte to the said weighted-lever 8 of said valve 7 by a common chain 10 or other similar flexible member, so that both of said valves will From said valve-lever 17 the said chain 7 passes upwardly into a curved guide (preferably a common pipe-elbow) 16, and thence horizontally to the'interior'of the oil-tank, where it is connected to a horizontal chain 11 having a number of fusible-links 12 and extended across the tank above the oil line.

In Fig. 3 I have shown three of said fusible-link chains arranged in a triangular relation, and having their ends connected, as well as being connected to the said lever 17 of three acid-valves 2, so that when a fire occurs in the tank all three sets of acid and solution mechanism will be simultaneously operated automatically by the fusing of a link of any one of the three fusible-link chains.

Should a fire occur in the tank 15, one or more of said fusible links 12 will immedi-- ately be destroyed by the heat, and permit the 'weight 9 to drop, turning the valvestems of the valves 2 and 7, and permitting the acid to be discharged from the acid-tank 1 into the said jet-pump 4, where it meets and is drawn in by the foam-producing alkaline-solution supplied by said pipe 6, and the partial mixture of solution and acid is discharged into the mixin -chamber 5, and from that is forced out (1n a manner previously described) into the trough 145, and distributed upon the surface of the oil in said tank. 7

The numeral 18 designates a combined drain and gas-outlet, connected to the said valve 7, which, in the present instance, is shown as acommon three-way valve.

When the said three-way valve is in its normal position, it prevents the passage of alkaline-solution from the said supply-pipe 13 to the mixing-chamber, so that there is a free passageway for the gases from the tank into and through the mixing-chambers .5, thence through pipes 6, thence through said valves 7, and thence into said drain and gas-outlet pipe18, which may be connected to an exhausting-means, suchas a pump, siphon, or fan, (not shown).

Referring now to the modified construction of Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that I have provided a floating mixing-chamber 5, which is supported by means of an annu lar float 21 which surrounds said mixingchamber and holds its open upper discharge end at slight distance above thesurface of the oil in the tank at all times.

A spreading-cap is suitably supported a slight distance above the open upper end of r the said mixing-chamber 5, by means of common brackets, to cause the foam to spread overthe surface of the oil durin a d153, said cap belng convex upon its un ers1 e.

In Fig. 6 I have shown three floating mixing-chambers arranged in triangular relation to each other in the tank 15, and having their supply pipes 6 for the foam-forming solution connected to the three-way valves 7 by means of a swinging pipe at, and common swing-joints 25 and'26.

The acid pipes 3 have common flexiblesections 27, which permit those portions of said pipes which move up and down with the floating-mixing chambers 5 to readily fol- ]ow the movements of the said swinging-pipes 2t, and convey the acid from the said acidtanks 1 (which are stationary in the present case) to the miXing-siphons I.

The operation of the floating mixingchambers is substantially the same as that of the stationary miXin -chambers, which has previously been sufficiently described.

li lyinvention attains several very desir able objects, as follows: A

1st. It avoids the necessity of very long acid-pipes, which heretofore were necessary in field-systems of oil-tank fire-extinguishapparatus, and which were always liable to destruction by corrosion, as well as being expensive to construct, and which required double the amount of pumping-power and storageroom, Y

2d. I am able to increase the quantity of foam discharged into an oil-tank more than double the amount of that which could be heretofore made from a given quantity of foam-solution, and I maintain this quantity by delivering the foam directly upon the surface of the oil, thereby preventing loss of foam.

8d. By admitting immediately to any,

tank in the field, upon the bi'eaking out of a fire in said tank, an unlimited quantity of foam, which can be continuously supplied by pumping or by gravity until the fire is extinguished. I

4th. In my system, hydriamts connected with the main alkaline solutiidn supply-line may be opened without affecting the mixture being supplied to a tank that is burnin I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus for oil-tanks, the combination'with an oil-tank, of a mixing-chamber arranged to discharge upon the interior of said oil-tank near the oil-level therein, a fire-extinguishing foam, and having inlet and discharge openings; a

Y-shaped pipe connectiOn fitted to the inlet opening of said mixing-chamber; an acidtank separate from said mixing-chamber; an acid-pipe extending from said acid-tank to one branch of the said ll-shaped pipe-connection and entering same at an angle, whereby liquid passing to the mixing-chamber will draw the acid from said acid-pipe and deliver it into said. Y-shaped pipe-connection where it will be mixed with the passing liquid; and a pipe for supplying under pressure from a source exterior of said oil-tank an alkaline foam-forming solution, and for discharging the same into the other branch of said i -shaped pipe-connection through the inlet-opening of said mixing-chamber,

2. In a fire extinguishing apparatus for oil-tanks, the combination with anoil-tank, of a mixing-chamber arranged to discharge upon the interior of said oil-tank near the oil-level therein a iire-extinguishing foam, and having inlet and discharge openings; a i -shaped pipe-connection on said mixingchamber, by means of which an alkaline team-forming solution may be supplied to said inlet opening of said chamber under pressure from a source exterior of said oiltank; an acid-tank located near to said mixing-chamber, said if-shaped pipe-connec tion, being arranged as a suction-device for delivering acid from said acid-tank into the alkaline solution before the latter is forced into said mixing-chamber; suitable valves for controlling the release of the alkaline solution and the acid into said i -shaped pipe-connection; an automatic device for opening said valves; and a fusible-element for releasing said automatic device when a fire occurs in said oil-tank.

3. In combination with an oil-tank, a foamcarrying trough inclined within said tank, and suitable means forsupplying foam to the said trough.

4. In combination with an oil-tank, a fo'amtrough arranged at an angle within said tank to deliver foam to the surface of the oil from an elevated source of supply.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR J. HOLMES.

Witnesses:

HENRY L. IIIGDON, I JOHN C. IIIGDON. 

